Umbral Guardian

Umbrals are a type of infernal that occupies a distinct niche in the Outer Abyss, benefiting from being able to slip into Caen more easily than others. They possess a special connection to shadows that lets them exploit darkness to serve as gateways. Guardians are often contracted to bind into the shadows of important infernal assets, lurking unseen to await the time they are needed, at which point they spring into action in defense of their charge.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Soulless
• Template:Defensive Strike
• Template:Ghostly
• Template:Shadow Guardian
• Template:Shield Guard

Weapons

Great Sword
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				4				11
Template:Magical Weapon Template:Weapon Master
Buckler
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		0.5				3				10
Template:Magical Weapon Template:Buckler

Theme Forces

• Template:Dark Legacy
• Template:Hearts of Darkness

Thoughts on Umbral Guardian

Umbral Guardian in a Nutshell

Umbral Guardians are extremely interesting and they have a new rule with interesting interactions. At their core, they're hardy Shield Guards with a good defensive stat line and potent melee attack. However, their Shadow Guardian rule allows them to not be deployed with the rest of your army, and instead 'Bamf' into play when one of your models is hit by an enemy ranged attack. They absorb the attack and take the hit, much like Shield Guard. Then, after that, they still have Shield Guard to absorb an additional nearby enemy ranged attack!

Combos & Synergies

• The major decision you must make here is when to deploy these. you can view them as ablative hp for solos or horrors mostly. If they do survive, they'll be a decent way to tie up something.
• In Hearts of Darkness, Warjacks gain Accumulator [Soulless], so these guys turn into both Focus batteries as well as Shield Guards. This is especially useful if you don't want to buy into Infernal units.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Every shot your opponent lands makes you consider if you want to deploy them to absorb the hit or hold in reserve in case you need it more in the future. This can lead you to deploying them too early or never deploying them at all after you have eliminated all of the shooting.
• They do not have marked soul and are in fact soulless; they can neither refill essence nor be sacrificed to create a new horror
• Their guard abilities require direct hits

Tricks & Tips

• Shadow Guardian works vs ranged sprays, unlike regular Shield Guard. (Neither work vs spell sprays though.)
• You can trigger Shadow Guardian and Shield Guard on the same turn.

Other

Trivia

File:MiniCrate8 6 Maternal-Guardian.jpg

Maternal Guardian; Minicrate Exclusive.

• Released with the Faction launch (2019.06)
• Template:LES